Workplace Reveals Secrets
by lyoko-scipio-1114
Summary: Ulrich Stern has just graduated college, and begins working at a new job. Only, his boss isn't who he expected, and he begins finding out things his boss didn't want him to know, but he has to help. Could the new job change his life?
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey everyone. I recently got a new idea for a story… and despite me not wanting to start another till I finished **__**The Perfect Summer**__**… I just had to write it. Let me know what you think please. **_

**Chapter One- Congratulations**

A tall, handsome brown haired, chocolate-eyed young man 23 years in age was being applauded and congratulated by his friends and family. He had just graduated from college, as a major in sports journalism. It was a great day; a day he spent celebrating with his friends, Odd, Aelita, and Jeremie, and family. They had thrown him a surprise graduation party at his house, which he had purchased with little help from his parents when he was a sophomore in college.

Ulrich was wandering around his yard, looking at all the decorations his friends and family had put up for him. It was quite an extravagant party, but was still had a very laid back atmosphere. Plenty of refreshments were set up on four long tables on the nearby deck, and Ulrich stopped to take a look. Bowls of popcorn, chips, and a bunch of other junk food as well as healthier veggie platters and sandwiches took up pretty much every inch of three tables. The fourth was where the drinks were, with soda, punch, water, and bottle or two of wine.

Music played from the back patio, and a handful of couples danced to the fast-paced songs. A familiar face was the DJ, Sam, Odd's ex-girlfriend, and Ulrich's friend. She and Odd had broken up their senior year, but sill stayed really close friends. They often skateboarded together, testing out new tricks on each other as well as teaching each other. Sam looked up from DJ'ing and waved to Ulrich, who waved back.

A bunch of Ulrich's other friends from college were there too.

"Hey, Ulrich!" his blonde haired best friend Odd shouted. "Come over here for a group picture!" he shouted, and Ulrich turned around to the voice. Odd was motioning Ulrich over in front of a huge tree, where his girlfriend Jenny, a sweet girl with brown curly hair, and two more of Ulrich's best friends, Aelita and Jeremie, stood.

Ulrich joined his friends, in the middle of the group. To his left stood Odd and Jenny; to the right were Aelita and Jeremie. His mother was he photographer, and snapped the picture.

"Let me see," Ulrich said, as his mother gave him the camera. The group stood around Ulrich as he reviewed the picture.

"Great picture, Odd commented.

"Yeah. There's just one person who I wish was here," Ulrich said. Everyone knew who he meant.

After Yumi graduated high school, a year before Ulrich, Odd, Aelita, and Jeremie, her life took a different course. Her promises of staying around her friends were broken, and she ran off with a new boyfriend. She didn't keep in contact with really any of her friends, and everyone believed she was happy, healthy, and was just in love, with other plans than to wait around a year for her friends when she had the guy of her dreams.

They had tried to contact her many times, various ways, but nothing ever worked. Her cell phone was disconnected, and she had a new number. She moved away. Her email was cancelled. And, her family was back in Japan, so they couldn't even find out through them. Even the internet's vast capabilities couldn't help figure out where she was. It just sent them in circles. So, eventually, they gave up and stopped searching.

"How about we go get something to drink and sit down for a bit?" Ulrich proposed.

"Alright."

"Sure. Sounds good to me."

The group migrated to the deck, and everyone took a plate of something. Odd took a handful of just about everything- everything except the veggies. How surprising. He took a big glass of soda, too. And, of course, he took the most sugary, unhealthy soda there was. That wasn't surprising either. Aelita, who had a plate of carrots, celery, and little tomatoes, just shook her head and laughed slightly. The group sat down one of the tables set up on the back lawn.

"Yeah..." Odd said, taking a sip of his soda and finishing up his potato chips. "It's too bad Yumi didn't stick around. Guess her boyfriend was pretty amazing for her to just take off like that," Odd said.

"Yeah. I wish I knew who it was. Never did find out," Ulrich said.

"How much do u wanna bet it's that jerk William?" Aelita asked.

Ulrich laughed. "You said it, Aelita. He was a jerk. But something's telling me it's not William. My money's on that guy she was dating in her senior year. What's-his-face."

"Theo?" Odd said, his mouth full of popcorn.

Ulrich shook his head. "No, no, the blonde one after Theo. In her grade."

Everyone thought for a moment.

"Her chemistry partner?" Aelita asked. "James?"

"Yeah. Him. James. That's who I was thinking about."

Jeremie cleared his throat. "Actually, my hypothesis is that the mystery guy was William. It's highly unlikely that she would be with James," he chimed in.

Odd and Ulrich raised an eyebrow. "Why's that, Jeremie?"

Jeremie pushed his glasses up further on his nose and then continued. "Statistically speaking, it is unlikely because they were too different. He was a high class French guy, planning to be a painter or something like that. She was a pretty, bright Japanese girl who wasn't sure what she wanted to do after high school. Her parents wanted her to be something really successful, like a doctor, or a lawyer, right? They seemed highly incompatible."

Ulrich shook his head. "She really liked him, and I think they stayed together after high school. That's when she distanced herself and disappeared."

"Eh, if she's happy, that's good... Right?" Aelita said.

"Yeah. And that's all that should matter."

"I wish I could have met Yumi. She sounds like she was a pretty cool person," Odd's girlfriend Jenny said.

"She was," everyone agreed.

Just then, everyone's favorite song came on, and Jenny stood up next to Odd, taking his hand.

"Come on, Odd, let's dance! I love this song!" Odd glanced at his food on the table, and hen back to Jenny. He surrendered when she smiled.

Odd stood up, and she hugged him. "Alright."

"Yay!" she said excitedly. The rest of the group watched on what would have been disbelief because he gave up food. But, ever since he started dating Jenny, he would give up anything as long as she was happy.

With Jenny and Odd gone, Ulrich looked to Aelita, a her eyes flashed to Jeremie. "Shall we dance, Jeremie?" she questioned softly. Jeremie wasn't a big fan of dancing, but he said yes anyways. They followed behind Odd and Jenny to where a lot of the other guests were.

Ulrich was watching all of the many couples dance, while he still sat at the table, now alone. He took a sip of soda, and then felt someone tap his shoulder from behind, so he turned around to see Sam standing there.

"Oh, hey, Sam. What's up?"

"Well, I figure that the honorary graduate shouldn't be left without a dance partner at his own party. Wanna dance?" she asked.

"Sure. Thanks," he said, and they went and danced for a while. One of Sam and Ulrich's friends Michael covered the job of DJ'ing so Sam could take a break and actually hang out with her friends for a while.

After about two hours of everyone dancing, they got tired and went back to the table for some food and a break. There were giant pans of things like homemade mac & cheese, pasta, and salads out now, as well as burgers freshly cooked on the grill for dinner.

When dinner was over, Ulrich's mother and father took the attention of everyone for a few moments, up on the deck with the microphone.

"Ulrich, we'd just like to say how proud we are of you for completing college at the grades you recieved. We always knew you could do it, but you blew our minds anyways," his mother said, her eyes sparkling with a tiny hint of tears, and lots of joy.

"You worked so hard to achieve that goal, and you stuck with it even when it was tough. We're so proud to have you as our son, Ulrich," his father said. Odd stood up next, and the group followed behind him, taking the mic from his father. The lined up in a row, facing the guests at the party.

"First off, buddy, congrats! You're an excellent student," Jeremie added, and passing the microphone down the line.

"A magnificent writer," Aelita added, and handed the mic to the next person.

"A hell of a soccer player," Sam added, passing the mic. The guests laughed at her comment.

Odd was the last one in the line. "And, dude, you're an awesome person and friend to everyone. You rock!" The line started clapping, and the rest of the guests soon joined in unison. When the clapping ceased, they pointed to Ulrich, and motioned for him to come on the deck with them. He followed, and stood next to Odd.

"So, what are your plans now that you're a graduate?" Odd questioned.

Ulrich said, "Well, I actually have a job interview tomorrow afternoon at a local place that publishes sports magazines and short books."

"Really? That's awesome! Congrats!" everyone chimed in.

"Thanks, everyone."

Aelita put her hand on Ulrich's shoulder and said, "You'll definitely get the job."

Ulrich laughed. "I hope so."

The party went on for a few more hours, into the beginning hours of the nighttime. The last people there were Ulrich's parents and Odd, Jenny, Aelita, and Jeremie. They helped clean up the rest of the food that wasn't eaten or taken home and helped put away things that needed to be stored overnight, like the electronic equipment. They agreed to come back the next day before Ulrich's interview to finish cleaning the rest of the yard up.

Around 11:30, Ulrich said goodbye to his friends and family, and called it a night. He trudged up the stairs, exhausted from the party, and went to bed.

_**Alright, there you go. I'm working on chapter two now, as well as**_ _**The Perfect Summer**__**, and another one-shot too. The next chapter of this and TPS as well as the one-shot should be up soon. Review, please!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Alrighty, here's chapter two. Sorry it's been a while, I've got so much going on in my life right now that it's difficult to find time to sit down and write, no matter how much I love it. Well, hope you enjoy. Review, please!**_

**Chapter Two**

Morning came all too quick for Ulrich, and even though he overslept, he was still exhausted as he started his morning routine. His feet felt heavy as they took him down the stairs slowly, tiredly, and to the kitchen for his morning cup of coffee. He had just sat down in his favorite armchair and taken the first few sips of his coffee when the doorbell rang twice, followed by three quick taps.

Ulrich walked over to the door, coffee in hand, and opened it to see three smiling faces. Jeremie, Aelita, and Odd were there to help clean up, just like they said. Ulrich stepped to the side, and gestured for them to enter.

"Please, come in," he said. The three proceeded in and sat down on the couch. Ulrich closed the door. "Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Tea?" he asked.

Jeremie thought for a second and replied, "I'll take a cup of coffee, sure."

"And tea sounds nice," Aelita commented softly. Ulrich nodded, and looked to where Odd was, except the sofa was empty all. Rolling his eyes, he walked to the kitchen, where he saw his blonde friend raiding his pantry.

"Not surprising, Odd," he laughed. Odd turned his head to look at Ulrich and had a cupcake shoved in his mouth, while holding a bag of Sour Patch Kids and Oreos. Ulrich just laughed again, walking over to the sink, grabbing the teapot and filling it up with water before placing it on the stove to start heating up for Aelita's tea. He reached into the cabinet above him, took out two mugs, and placed them on the counter next to the stove. There was the coffee pot, still warm with an almost full pot. He poured a mug, and took it into the living room for Jeremie. Odd came into the room right after, junk food in hand.

"Ah. Breakfast," he said, chomping down on some of the cupcake, with sour patch kids shoved into the frosting.

Ulrich turned on the TV to the morning news, turned down low for background noise mainly. He and Jeremie sipped away at their coffee, and soon Ulrich heard the tea kettle whistling. He had begun to set his coffee mug down when Aelita stood up.

"No, no. Sit. I'll get it Ulrich."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. Drink your coffee, you'll need the energy for your interview later," she said politely with a smile. Before he could say another word, she walked away to the kitchen.

Aelita reached in the cabinet above the coffee pot, and took out the tin Ulrich had all the tea bags in. She pulled out a handful, and put back all but three: a black tea bag, a green tea bag, and a peppermint tea bag. Ultimately, she chose the green tea and put back the other bags into the tin and placed it back in the cabinet. Aelita dropped the green tea bag into the cup, and poured the warm water in after. Taking a spoon, she stirred, watching the water take the color of the tea.

When she returned to the living room, Ulrich and Jeremie were discussing Ulrich's interview, and Odd was loudly munching away on his "breakfast."

"So, what's the job you're applying for, exactly?" Aelita asked.

"A position as one of the three top sports writers for the state's soccer magazine," Ulrich replied. "If I get the job, I'll be writing columns about things like players, events, stuff like that."

"Wow, that's cool. But… One of the top three? Don't you need experience to be that rank?" Jeremie asked.

Ulrich paused while taking a sip of his coffee. "Normally, but since I wrote columns for the high school, and I did an internship during college with one of the local newspapers, I can directly apply for this position. They reviewed some stuff I've written already, when I was there two days ago."

"Overachiever," Odd said with a grin. Aelita glared jokingly, wiping the grin off of Odd's face.

"At least he has a plan for what he wants to do for his life…" Jeremie said. Odd grinned again, and laughed.

"I have a plan."

"Really? What's that? To be a couch potato?" Ulrich said.

"Nah. My plan simply is to decide what I want to do at a later time… And for now, live life carefree."

Aelita and Ulrich rolled their eyes. "So Odd-like," they said in unison.

The four finished their drinks, and Odd inhaled his food. Then the cleanup commenced.

Ulrich was dressed in a simple dark blue professional suit, hoping to give off a good impression to his future employer. The commute to the office wasn't too far away from his house, and with the every-day traffic it only took twenty minutes.

"Alright, let's hope this goes well," he told himself before he exited his car, taking his black briefcase that had more samples of his work in it, just in case they wished to see more.

Ulrich Stern trekked the short distance from his car to the office lobby with a confident smile. The inside of the lobby was just as it had been the last time he was here, with the marble floors, tan walls, and high ceilings. There was a circular receptionist desk in the center of the floor, with a large staircase behind the desk, in the center of the room. To both sides of the staircase were two elevators.

"Hello," the lady behind the reception desk said as Ulrich approached. "How may I help you, sir?"

"I'm Ulrich Stern, I have a meeting scheduled for 11 o'clock."

"Oh yes, Mr. Stern. I have it noted right here. Let me page Mrs. D and I will see if she's ready to meet with you. One moment, please," she said, picking up the phone and hitting three or four buttons.

"Thank you," Ulrich said, and fell silent. The secretary waited a few seconds, and then spoke.

"Mr. Stern is here." … "Yes, okay, I'll send him up," she said, and hung up the phone. She looked up at Ulrich and smiled. "Mrs. D is ready to see you. Do you know where her office is?"

Ulrich shook his head. "No, the last time I was here it wasn't her I met with. Could you tell me how to get there?"

"Sure, you go up the stairs, to the right, down the hall to the very last door."

"Thank you," Ulrich said with a smile, and headed up the stairs. He turned right, and continued down the hall. The last door was open, and Ulrich stopped in the doorway. There was a woman facing the back wall, reaching for a binder on a shelf, unaware that Ulrich was standing there. He knocked on the door frame twice, lightly. The woman spun around, and her and Ulrich's eyes widened.

"Ulrich?" The woman gasped. Ulrich's thoughts had just been confirmed.

"Yumi? Is that really you?" he asked, shocked. She hadn't changed much in the few years that had passed with no contact. Yumi's straight, short black hair framed her face just as it always had, and she was still very thin. She wore a black knee-length dress, with a modest V-neck, and black heels.

"Yes! Oh my goodness, Ulrich!" She placed the binder on the desk, and laughed. "How are you? How have you been? It's been forever since I've seen you! Oh my god, I want a hug," Yumi said very fast and walked out from behind her desk. She wrapped her arms around Ulrich, and he hugged her back, smiling. When the hug broke, Yumi gestured to the chairs in front of her desk.

"Sit, sit, please!" she said, as she sat in one of them herself, not bothering to take her own chair behind her desk. "You never answered my question, Ulrich! How have you been?"

Ulrich smiled as he sat down in the chair next to Yumi. "I've been doing okay. Just finished college, actually."

"Really? That's great! I bet you did really well. You always were a bright kid," Yumi said, and they both laughed.

"Yeah, it was a lot easier to focus on schoolwork there versus Kadic, despite all the college parties and stuff."

Yumi let out a sarcastic gasp. "College parties? You were never big on parties during high school. That's surprising!"

Ulrich laughed. "Yeah, well being the second best soccer player my freshman year and then the best for the next three while I was there kind of gets you places like that. I mean, I didn't go to every party, but I won't deny I definitely did attend a lot. Doesn't mean I was a huge partier though. I always kept my best interest in keeping up with my schoolwork, and keeping my soccer skills perfect. That was way more important to me than parties."

"You were the best player for three years in a row? Damn. That's pretty awesome, Ulrich."

Ulrich laughed again. "Yeah, it was pretty awesome. Coach said he hadn't seen anyone play like that in 20 something years."

Yumi looked at the binder on her desk, and then back at Ulrich. "If you were so good, how'd you end up here? You probably could have gone pro easily. What made you want to be a writer?"

Ulrich reached next to him, and pulled out his briefcase. He unlatched it, and started looking through papers inside as he spoke. "A class I wanted in my sophomore year wasn't available anymore, so I chose one about writing, just for fun. For the final project, we had to make a magazine article and a short essay on something of our choice. I considered multiple possibilities of what to write about, but ultimately decided on combining my love of soccer with the final project. So, I wrote this and turned it in for the magazine article part," he said, pulling out a copy of his project. Yumi read it, slowly and carefully. She was drawn in immediately, and was amazed at how well it was written. The language was precise, well thought out, and one of its best features was that it was easy to follow, even for someone who knew nothing about soccer.

"Wow," Yumi said when she finished. "I never knew you could write so well, Ulrich."

"Yeah, no one did, and neither did I until that class."

"I bet your professor gave you a great grade on this, it's really, really well done, especially for a sophomore with no prior interest in writing." Yumi scanned the article again. "I haven't seen something this great in a while, not from someone who hasn't been in the business for years. Even then, I've read and edited a lot of articles that have gone out through this magazine, and I rarely come across something this great."

Ulrich raised an eyebrow. "Really? And yeah, I got an A on it easily. My professor isn't huge on soccer, he's more of a baseball type of guy, so I was a little worried. But, nevertheless, he loved it. After that, I knew I wanted to do this type of work. Yes, playing professionally had crossed my mind many times since I was a kid, but that only lasts a few years. Writing can be a whole lifetime career."

"I like your thinking, and I'm definitely very interested in your work." Yumi stood up, and went to the opposite side of her desk, and sat down in that chair. "Let's make this official then, shall we?" She pulled out a few papers from her binder and placed them in front of her. "Mr. Stern, I would love to have you work for this company, and I am pleased to tell you that you have gotten this job."

"Thank you Yumi, I ah, mean, Mrs. D." Yumi and Ulrich laughed as they shook hands.

"Now all you need to do is fill out these work papers, and as soon as they're submitted, you can begin work here. Since you're now one of the top three writers in this place, you'll have an office of your own in this hall." Yumi handed Ulrich the papers she pulled out of her binder, and he slipped them into his briefcase and latched it shut.

"Really? That's great. Thank you again, so much, Mrs. D."

Yumi smiled. "You'll do great, Ulrich."

Ulrich nodded, and headed for the door. He was still amazed that his new boss was Yumi. It didn't seem real to him at all, really. _After all these years of no contact, now I'm working for her? Well, the world works in funny ways, I guess, _Ulrich thought to himself.

He stopped at the doorway, and looked back at Yumi. She was putting away the binder she had taken out earlier back in its place on the shelf behind her.

"Yumi?" Ulrich asked, and she turned around.

"Yes, Ulrich?"

"I was thinking, well, maybe if you wanted to, we could go to lunch? You know, as friends, to maybe catch up some more? It's been forever."

Yumi smiled, and looked at the clock on the wall next to Ulrich. Five minutes till her lunch break. "Sure, Ulrich. I'd love to. I'll meet you down in the lobby in five minutes, okay?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," Ulrich said with a smile. He headed down the hall, and back down the stairs. He took a seat on one of the benches by the window, and waited.

_**Well, that's it for this chapter. What'd you think? I wanna know your opinions, please! Good, bad, medium, tell me! Thank you. Chapter three shall be up soon! Hopefully. Working on a few other stories too, trying to balance them! It's tough. But I love writing and I love you who take the time to read them, and especially those who tthen tell me what you think. **_


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